


Ellana Lavellan

by Cassandra_Pentaghast



Series: Ellana Lavellan [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-21
Updated: 2015-11-01
Packaged: 2018-04-22 16:46:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4842893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cassandra_Pentaghast/pseuds/Cassandra_Pentaghast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four chapters of Dragon Age: Inquisition One-Shots.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Clan Lavellan - Green Dales - 9:32 Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellana's tenth Birthday.

Elvhen Translation  
ena’las - birthday  
asan - ten  
bradhes - pastries  
nira - party  
soun mavash - strong drink  
on melana - good time  
melathen - hours  
arla - home, hut, tent  
asa'ma'lin - sister  
asan'ta - twelve  
l'var'linathe - pregnant  
tan asa'ma'lins - the three sisters

Bored again. I hate not having something to do. Keeper Deshanna has insisted I go play. Mother has shooed me off too. Father is out with the hunters. It’s my ena’las. We are celebrating asan. I know what mother is doing. She thinks I don’t, but I do. She’s making my favorite bradhes. They are like little cakes that melt in your mouth. Ooh I can hardly wait. Everyone is busy preparing for my nira. Any chance to have a celebration and the Lavellan clan is all over it. The elders will drink soun mavash and laugh and sing and dance. It will be on melana! A good time.  
We will have fried mushrooms and roasted nuts. Deshanna has prepared the soun mavash from apples. The men will cook from today’s hunt on the big fire. My stomach is rumbling with anticipation. There will be fresh greens too. I love spreading a plate with fresh greens and dumping everything on top, the mushrooms, nuts, meat, all of it. It is sooooo good. And of course I’m going to save room for mother’s bradhes.  
“Ellana! Come! It’s time for me to do your hair. Mother said to do an asan dhula braid.”  
“That means I will have to sit for melathen!”  
“Come on. You can write and we will go to our favorite place.”  
“Okay then. To the trees it is!”  
An asan dhula braid is a weave of ten hair braids together into a kind of flower that sits on top of the head with wisps of hair falling down the sides of the face and the back of the neck. It is really intricate and beautiful. Mother taught Renni how to do it.  
Renni is my asa’ma’lin. She will create the most beautiful braids. She has a special talent with hair. She is good with all things beauty related actually. She’s asan’ta. Just two years older than me.  
We are sitting in a tree as we do most afternoons. Renni is doing my hair and I'm writing in my diary. All these thoughts. I don’t want to lose them. I love the smell of the wind as it winds through the trees midday. When I grow up this will all be mine because I want to be Keeper someday. Deshanna says I will be. I’m going to preserve our language, our ways. I must write everything down.  
“OW!”  
“Try not to look down so much. Keep your head up a bit. You can still write like that can’t you?”  
Renni and I are also best friends. We love climbing in the trees. Sometimes we go a little south on the other side of the river and from the trees we watch the Shemlens.  
There was this one time about a year ago we went to watch Shemlens when we were camped 20 miles west of here and we saw two that didn’t have any clothes on. We thought it was weird because Shemlens normally wear clothes. They weren’t bathing either. They were making funny sounds too. Renni and I covered our mouths and laughed. Those two were definitely the most interesting Shemlens we spied on.  
We won’t be able to wander off like that for much longer. Mother is I’var’linathe again. She swears it’s another girl. Father wants a boy. Renni and I will have to help take care of her. I think it’s a girl too. We can be an tan asa’ma’lins. The three sisters.  
“What are you writing about today anyway? Your Nira?”  
“Today, us, our family. The future.”  
"Bah. The future. Settle make camp. Get discovered by Shemlens. Pick up and move again. Repeat." "It's not that bad, Renni." "It's not? Maybe not for you because you're always itching to travel and see new land. But mostly for the rest of us, we're tired of it." "At least we throw good nira's!" answerd Ellana. “Okay, you’re done. And I promise it’s beautiful.”  
“Thank you Renni.”  
“Ellana, let’s get back. I hear music. I think they are starting.”  
The fires are lit. The elders are drinking and dancing.  
Renni and I are dancing the night away. Sometimes with some of the boys. And we are making fun of every single one of them.  
“Taren has a crush on you Ellana.” Renni has always loved teasing me.  
“And Ghilan has eyes for you Renni!”  
“May they long for us in their dreams?” Renni said with loud laughter as we twirled around the other dancers.  
“Taren is kind of cute. I confess.”  
“I dare you to go ask him for an ena’las kiss Ellana!”  
“Done!” I say with a mischievous smile.  
I see him over there by the fire watching me come toward him. He runs his fingers through his hair. Those eyes watching me come closer. That smile.  
“I need one ena’las kiss right here on this cheek.”  
Taren looks at me like I’ve asked him to kiss a Shemlen or something.  
“I?” He’s at a loss for words.  
I smile at him and gesture. “Just one quick kiss right here on this cheek.”  
I watch the back of him as he hurries toward his tent. Renni has come up behind me.  
“Well?”  
“He gave me an odd look, kissed me on the cheek and ran off.”  
“That’s okay. Come on. I snuck some soun mavash.”  
“Renni! Father will…”  
“Shshh!”  
We’ve walked just enough out of eyeshot of everyone.  
“Okay you first!” I say to Renni.  
“Bottoms up!” she says back and takes her first sip of soun mavash.  
As quickly as she sips it, she spits it out.  
“YUCK! How can they drink this?”  
“Let me try.”  
“Oh this is good. I like this.”  
“Ewww! You like it?”  
“I do.”  
“You’re going to be the drunken clan keeper who brews the best soun mavash!”  
I love watching Renni laugh. When others are happy, it makes me happy.  
“Renni?”  
“Yes Ellana?”  
“Do you ever think about if we both had magic and one of us had to leave the clan?”  
“Ma’ venuralas Ellana! Give me that. I think you have had enough. You’re getting all serious.”  
“Renni? Come on? Just tell me if you have ever thought about it?”  
“Fine. Don’t tell me.”  
“Ellana, I actually once spoke with mother about this and she told me she would have sent you to another clan because you are the youngest. Well, until she gives birth to our sister, you are the youngest.”  
“So you think it’s a girl too?”  
“I tell you what mother said and all you care about is that I think she’s going to have a girl?”  
“Alright. Which clan?”  
"Whichever clan would have had room for a mage and would accept you." “Does it matter Ellana? I don’t have magic. So none of us is going anywhere. You are first and will be keeper someday.”  
“No. I guess it doesn’t matter.”  
“But what if our little sister…?”  
“Ellana! Enough! We're supposed to be celebrating.  
Back at our arla I can’t sleep. Some of the elders are still outside drinking, laughing and celebrating my nira. It’s been such a good day. I could live like this forever.


	2. Ellana Lavellan’s Good-Bye 9:41 Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellana reminisce with her mother and says good-bye.

I didn’t know when I would see mother again. I had never travelled so far all alone away from the clan.

I spoke with mother about when my magic was discovered. I asked her to tell me the story again.

“Well, let’s see. Lainy. You were just five years old and you were playing alone nearby in the trees as you always had when you were a child.

Your sister was home in bed because she was ill. Keeper Deshanna was giving her herbs to aid in the healing process. We heard a very loud crashing sound in the direction where you were playing. We came running of course. It had sounded like lightning and ice and snow, like a storm, but there was no storm. Only the remnants as if there had been a storm. There were some trees down and the ground was scorched. When we found you, your raven curls had turned white. As did your skin. A complete paleness came over you, but you were alive. Keeper Deshanna told me you had the gift. I was speechless. I picked you up and hugged you as you laughed and said “Mama, look what I did! Mama! See that?!” Your laughter drowned my worry and tears. Keeper Deshanna and I became very close after that. She helped me come to terms with your magic and taught me how to protect you while you learned how to use and control it.”

“I love hearing this story mother. I could listen to it over and over. To think I once had raven curls.”

“I am going to miss you so much Lainy. You must come back quickly as soon as you get the information from this Shemlen Conclave.”

“I will mother. I promise.”

I would never speak to or see mother again. I didn’t know it at the time. My clan would be wiped out while I was away in some unknown future thrust upon me by events predestined and laid out beyond my control.


	3. Ellana Lavellan on her way to the Conclave

The cold and wind is cutting through the walls of the raft Maiora and Renni helped me build.

I can hear the rain beating the thatched roof that was hastily placed over woven twigs and branches we hoisted up as makeshift walls.

The rudder isn’t working very well, so I’m casting some spells to keep the raft in the direction of Ferelden.

I’m on my way to what the Shemlen call a Conclave. I don’t even want to go, but Keeper Deshanna said I must go. She said I must spy on the meeting and find out what’s going on so our clan can decide how long to stay where we’re currently camped and where to go next when travel becomes unavoidable again.

I loved travelling when I was little. Anytime Keeper said we were readying ourselves to leave again, I got this excitement in the pit of my stomach. I loved it. I couldn’t wait to see the new land we would venture to. Sometimes if we stayed too long somewhere I would begin to nag Keeper about when we could travel again. She would pat me on the head and send me for berries.

Now, I’m just tired and cold. I don’t want to travel so much anymore. That rush I used to get is gone. I wish I could find our clan a nice hiding place so we never have to travel again. My plan for this Conclave? I’m going to stay to the trees travelling at night and climb them whenever I hear Shemlens nearby. During the day I’m going to sleep up in the trees above the Shemlens. I won’t build any fires. I’m going to eat cold mushrooms, nuts, berries and roots as Keeper taught me. Sneak in and sneak out. That is the plan.

I refuse to let myself get hurt again. Not after what happened. Whenever I think of it I can feel the sting of the slaps and punches to my face as if it were yesterday. It was dusk in the forest. I was out by myself getting herbs for Keeper when I fell upon some Shemlens. These Shemlens were dirty and angry. I tried to sneak away when they saw me. I ran, but not fast enough. A dagger in my back. A Shemlen had thrown it and it landed on the outside of my shoulder blade close to my arm. An arrow in my leg. The arrow found my calf, but it didn’t go all the way through, just a couple inches. I couldn’t run anymore. Down I went. They caught up to me. One took his dagger back. Another retrieved the arrow. Remembering the pain it caused when he removed the arrow makes me shiver. There was blood everywhere. The slaps and punches were quick. They began tearing at my clothes. Then I heard howling. Wolves! The Shemlens stopped and looked around. I immediately used healing spells as fast as I could to save my life and stop the bleeding, but then the Shemlens turned back to me exclaiming about the magic I used.

In an instant the wolves were attacking the Shemlens, killing them. I think I passed out. When I woke up I felt warmth and fur. A Wolf was on top of me, almost cradling me to keep me warm. As soon as I shifted a little to get up, he backed away and off of me. Sitting up, I stared at the impossibility that was before me. I reached a hand out to him, but he ran off. Not long after, some of our best hunters found me. They began a search when I didn’t return the night before. They helped me back to our camp.

I try to only think of the wolf. The comfort, the warm fur, but then I remember the dagger and the arrow, the punches and the slaps, torn clothes. Shemlens terrify me.

“Wolves don’t do that do they?” I had asked Keeper over and over. She insisted I passed out and dreamt the wolf was keeping me warm and protecting me. She explained the wolves that attacked must have got their fill from the Shemlens and therefore had no interest in me.

I think about that wolf. Why did he stay? Why did he go so quickly when I awoke? Where is he now? Could it have been just a dream?


	4. Ellana Lavellan’s Musings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellana's Diary as read by those who snoop or find pieces of it.

So much has happened since I stepped off the raft to enter Ferelden alone on behalf of my clan. Accustomed now to disappointment, my opinions, tendencies and decisions have changed when we stand around the war table.

If only I had not chosen the diplomatic, ambassadorial path. Maybe my clan would be alive today had I trusted Leliana with spymaster tactics to protect my family. If there has to be a Divine. I am glad it turned out to be her. She will let no one cross us.

How do I feel? My heart is heavy. I am crushed beneath the weight of an unquenchable desire.

I wish I was stronger. Maybe Solas would not have left me behind. Or maybe I would not have fallen in love with him in the first place.

At night I am helpless to dream and remember Solas kissing my lips. My desire becomes unleashed. I long for his touch. I can still smell his scent. The hold he has on me torments my waking hours and follows me to restless sleep.

~Diary Entry found in a closed book on the desk of the inquisitor by a snooping servant cleaning the inquisitor’s quarters one year before the Exalted Council.

 

I lost everything! This goddamed war has stolen everything that is important to me! Goddamed you Solas! I loved you! I believed in you! I would have gone anywhere with you, done anything for you.

I asked Cole if he would make me forget. He asked me, “forget what?” He wanders this land to help people, sometimes to make them forget, but for me he cannot or will not.

You said you will never forget me ma’ lath.

Tonight I will sleep and dream and wish I could forget you.

~Diary entry found on a torn piece of parchment, crumbled and laying on the floor. Winter Palace guest sleeping quarters 9:45 Dragon.


End file.
